I’m proud to say that I’m not the designer or leader I was a year ago, and certainly not the same one I was 5 or 10 years ago. I know people with a fixed mindset, and I’m embarrassed to say that I used to be one, too. It’s both easier (no self reflection needed) and harder (you’ll cap out at a lot of ceilings) to live in a state of being where you’ve been convinced that you’re unchangeable.
So, I have no shame in being a fan of New Year’s Resolutions. They got a bad reputation many years ago, when resolutions were all about losing weight, but we’re past that, right? Now resolutions are often about: being more present with your kids, reading a new genre of books, learning a new language, etc. I love when resolutions are about adding to your life rather than setting a limit on it.
And while I do think there are people who overthink their work life, many of us float through our careers and before we know it, we’re stuck in a rut. That’s why I enjoy setting work-related New Year’s Resolutions, and hearing from folks who set them too. It’s a nice way to snap out it, and into a new headspace, whether that’s about finding a new job, landing a promotion, or something more meaningful (if less tangible) that makes you proud of your work, not just swept away by it. While skiing with a friend of mine over the holidays, she mentioned she sets a single-word theme instead of specific resolutions. I'm taking inspiration from that.
This year, my intention is to lean into curiosity. It’s a strange thing for a designer to admit, but I haven’t cultivated that skill or trait as much as every designer should. This year, I’ve been lucky to have observed some great leaders in my sphere who have such a healthy amount of skepticism and curiosity for the truth, and it makes everyone around them better and our products better. They ask “Why are we doing it this way?” or “How do we know?” or “How does it work in X environment under Y conditions?”
This resolution will take shape for my work posture in a number of ways. For example:
- I will ask my peers more about their background from before the present job, so that I can learn from our team’s rich tapestry of experience.
- I will dig more into our user research / sales recordings related to some of my unanswered questions in my notes from 2024.
- I will ask “What if…?” in design brainstorms so that we can explore new ideas or break through constraints.
- I will get hands-on more frequently in our data science suite of tools, so I can look up information more independently.
- I will question “why” when I feel the nagging pang around a business process that doesn’t sit right with me.
- I’ll bring more thoughtful coaching questions to my reports, and to my manager for myself.
Do you have any other advice about how I might lean into curiosity more this year? I’d love to hear it on Bluesky.
